Personal care products with visual indicator of vaginitis

Abstract

There is provided a personal care product having a body side liner, a baffle and an indicator strip with two ends. The indicator has an amine sensitive dye near at least one end. The indicator extends from the target area just below the liner to just above the baffle such that the dye deposit is visible to an unaided eye. The dye changes color in the presence of amines which are characteristic of infection, thus alerting the user to the possibility of infection. Such an indicator placed in a feminine hygiene pad, for example, may be useful in the diagnosis of vaginits.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of visualizing bacterial vaginosis comprising:
 a) providing a personal care product with a visual indicator having an amine-sensitive dye, arranged such that said dye is observable to a user, said dye is an arylmethane dye selected from the group consisting of pararosaniline base (PAB), alpha-naphthol-benzein (ANB), naphthochrome green (NCG), and mixtures thereof; 
 b) providing instructions to enable a user to properly place said personal care product; 
 c) providing instructions to enable a user to visually examine the indicator and interpret changes in the indicator; 
 wherein said amine-sensitive dye interacts with basic amines of bacterial vaginosis to provide a visual color change in said amine-sensitive dye.